Package overview
This routing links Vietnam's two largest cities without going anywhere near central Vietnam, which makes it a useful alternative for agents whose clients have already done a Da Nang or Hue beach extension elsewhere. Hanoi time includes a day trip to Ninh Binh's Hoa Lu and Tam Coc, where a rowing boat threads through limestone karst scenery and grottoes — a countryside contrast to the temples and lakes covered on the dedicated Hanoi city day.
An overnight Ha Long Bay cruise sits between the two Hanoi days, and a same-day connecting flight then carries the group south to Ho Chi Minh City for three nights covering Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta and the city's colonial-era landmarks. It suits agents packaging a client's single comprehensive Vietnam trip, best run outside the wettest months in each region — roughly May to September in the south and October to April in the north.
Trip highlights
- Rowing-boat excursion through Tam Coc's limestone karsts and grottoes near Hoa Lu
- Full-day Hanoi city tour covering Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and the Old Quarter
- Overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay with Surprise Cave the following morning
- Same-day connecting flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
- Cu Chi Tunnels and a full-day Mekong Delta boat and village excursion
- Half-day tour of colonial Ho Chi Minh City, including the Notre Dame Cathedral and Opera House
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi (about a 45-minute, 25 km transfer from the airport)
Hanoi greets arriving clients with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial buildings and a scatter of lakes and pagodas across the old city. Many first evenings are spent no further than a stroll around the Old Quarter, a dense grid of narrow streets where each once specialised in a single trade and street-food stalls now line the same pavements.
Day 2: Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu and Tam Coc excursion
The day travels to Hoa Lu, capital of Vietnam under the Dinh and early Le dynasties from 968 until the early 11th century, reached by a short walk to the remaining dynastic temples. At Tam Coc, a small rowing boat — paddled by local boatmen using their hands and feet — carries guests through three limestone grottoes, Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba, before the drive back to Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi city tour
The itinerary covers Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake's edge. After lunch the group visits the Museum of Ethnology, then closes the day at Hoan Kiem Lake with a walking tour of the surrounding Old Quarter.
Day 4: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, board overnight cruise (about 3 hours / 170 km one way)
An 8am hotel pickup starts the drive to Ha Long Bay through the farmland and villages of the Red River Delta. Once aboard the traditional junk, the cruise passes Dinh Huong, Ga Choi, Dog and Sail Islands, stops at a pearl-farming site and paddles into Luon Cave, with time to swim before sunset from Ti Top Island and dinner served on board.
Day 5: Ha Long Bay to Hanoi airport, fly to Ho Chi Minh City (about 3½ hours / 190 km one way)
A Tai Chi session on the sundeck opens the morning before a visit to Surprise Cave, entered via around 100 steps and explored on foot. After brunch and a final pass by Ga Choi Island, Binh Phong Mountain and Tortoise Island, the group disembarks at Tuan Chau port for the transfer to Noi Bai Airport and a same-day connecting flight south.
Day 5: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (about a 30-minute, 10 km transfer from the airport)
The connecting flight lands at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, where a representative meets the group for the transfer into the city. Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's commercial capital, a denser and more modern counterpoint to Hanoi, and the rest of the day is left free to settle in after the long travel day.
Day 6: Cu Chi Tunnels excursion (about 1½ hours / 70 km one way)
The day is spent at the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extensive underground network built by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. Guides walk the group through sections of the tunnel system and the surrounding exhibits that explain how it was constructed and used.
Day 7: Mekong Delta tour (about 2 hours / 80 km one way)
A two-hour drive southwest reaches the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's rice bowl, where a boat cruise through the Vam Xep canal leads to a small islet for a walk past local orchards and villages. Stops include a bee farm with honey tea and fruit tasting, a coconut-candy workshop, and a narrow-canal row-boat ride under palm shade before returning to Ho Chi Minh City by motorised boat via My Tho.
Day 8: Half-day Ho Chi Minh City tour, departure
After checkout, a half-day walking tour covers the former Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel, the Opera House and City Hall, before transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for the onward or homeward flight.
What's included
- INCLUSIONS
- EXCLUSIONS
- ACCOMMODATION
- VISA
- PAYMENT TERMS
- CANCELLATION POLICY
- DO'S IN VIETNAM
- DON'TS IN VIETNAM
- Accommodation with twin/ double/ triple sharing room basis with daily breakfast in the category chosen or similar (subject to availability).
- Meals as mentioned in the Tour Itinerary.
- Sightseeing & Transfers according to the above Tour Itinerary Details only.
- Transportation by vehicle with A/C
- Local English-speaking guide’s assistance.
- All Entrance fees for attractions included in the program
- All activities and cruises clearly mentioned in the program
- Government taxes & service charge
- Air Fare / Train fare.
- Personal Expenses such as Laundry, telephone calls, tips & gratuity, mineral water, soft & hard drinks, porterage, water sports.
- Early check-in, late check-out
- Additional sightseeing or extra usage of vehicle, other than mentioned in the itinerary.
- Room Up gradation Charges.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities like, landslides, road blockage, political disturbances (strikes), etc (to be borne by the client, which is directly payable on the spot).
- Travel Insurance.
- Bank Charges
- Tip to Driver & Guide (Compulsory)
- Airport Taxes
- Visa and Visa arrangement
- Anything which is not included in the inclusion.
Not included
- Air Fare / Train fare.
- Personal Expenses such as Laundry, telephone calls, tips & gratuity, mineral water, soft & hard drinks, porterage, water sports.
- Early check-in, late check-out
- Additional sightseeing or extra usage of vehicle, other than mentioned in the itinerary.
- Room Up gradation Charges.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities like, landslides, road blockage, political disturbances (strikes), etc (to be borne by the client, which is directly payable on the spot).
- Travel Insurance.
- Bank Charges
- Tip to Driver & Guide (Compulsory)
- Airport Taxes
- Visa and Visa arrangement
- Anything which is not included in the inclusion.
Book this package
Visa requirements, payment terms and cancellation rules for this destination are set out on our [Vietnam travel information page](vietnam/travel-information).
Rates are quoted on request for your dates, party size and hotel category. Send us the itinerary reference and we will come back with a net B2B quotation.